AJ 2007 184-194 Echevarria Cord Central

8/11/2019 AJ 2007 184-194 Echevarria Cord Central

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9 Cordillera Central rgentina Province of San Juan Not to scaleApproximate location of main peak Sketch p by Evelio Echevarria


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9 Cordillera Central, Argentina. Province of endozaSketch p by Evelio Echevarria


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T H E A L P I N E J O U R N A L 8

Glaciation is found mostly on the south and south-east side of the majorpeaks. Glaciers that occupy the upper valleys are in the Mercedario-LaMesa group Cordillera de la Ramada), in the Cordon de los Penitentes,north of Aconcagua and on the east an d southern flanks of the bordermountains. From these glaciers flow unfordable rivers, like the Tunuyanand Atuel. In both provinces there are hundreds of peaks of all kinds andall shapes, a good many as yet unnamed. Some may be close at hand, somein the next valley or quite remote. Others may be rejoicing in impregnabilitybehind wicked, impassable brown streams. And, needless to say countlesspeaks, tall and small, rise up everywhere, independent of the cord nes closeto them.

he ast

Unfortunately Aconcagua, or the White Sentinel not the Stone Sentinelas widely advertised), has always monopolised attention; but some veryimportant mountaineering events, unrelated to the giant, have occurred inthis cordillera. In 1883 Dr Paul Giissfeldt, on Volcan Maipo 5264m), madethe highest solitary ascent then known. Between 1897 and 1910 theboundary commissions of Chile and Argentina carried out the first scientific

survey of their Andean boderlands, erecting a total of 182 two-metre ironbenchmarks on mountain passes and even on some summits of this zone.They are still there. In 1897 members of E A FitzGerald s expedition including the guide Mattias Zurbriggen) climbed Aconcagua 6960m),Tupungato 6570m) and Catedral 5335m) and produced a first-class bookcovering the entire Mendoza valley E A FitzGerald, The Highest AndesMethuen, 1899). In 1925 Austrian immigrant Hans Stepanek and one ortwo companions performed numerous first ascents an d even traverses in

the Cordon del Pla ta . In around 1930 the Vela brothers of Mendozaintroduced skiing to the Vallecitos area. In 1939 the Club AndinistaMendoza was founded, followed by the Club Andino Mercedario of SanJuan in 1945. Since the 1930s national andinistas have been participatingin the exploration and climbing of their country s central hinterland. Theyhave often invited foreigners to join them since, throughout her history,Argentina has been a country very open to European immigration.

In connection with the history of mountaineering in this region, I would

like to mention two Britons who distinguished themselves in its exploration.Stuart Vines, a geologist, was the real source of strength behind theFitzGerald expedition of 1897. I t was he who climbed the major peaks; healso contributed magnificent chapters to the leader s book The HighestAndesHe must have been one of the strongest mountaineers of his time and yethis name is - and has been - very rarely mentioned. As far as I know, onlyone photograph of him as a mountaineer exists. His card, recovered in1906 from the summit of Cerro Catedral, read, M S.R. S Vines, FiskertonRectory, Lincoln .


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9 Cerro Tolosa 5317m seen from the south. The south face of concaguain the background. Evelio Echevarria

99 Mendoza the upper Las Cuevas valley, looking north, with Cerro Piloto 5064m in the background. Evelio Echevarria


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1 Nigel Gallop in the southern ordon del Portillo, 1955. y courtesy Nigel Gallop, London

1 1 Cordon del Portillo, with the Tres Picos del mor 5000m , ascended in1954. By courtesy Nigel Gallop, London


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9 T H E A L P i N E J O U R N A L 8

Those who respond to the challenge of this vast and accessible rangewill have to be flexible enough to adapt themselves to the peculiarities ofthe region. Relief and landforms are likely to be on a grander scale thanthose most visitors have previously encountered. Quantity, size and diversityof mountain peaks, severe and solitary valleys and boundless pale-blue skiesare the characteristics of the Cordillera Central of Argentina.

ppendix A SUMMIT ARCHAEOLOGY

n Inca mummy, recovered from the summit of El Toro 6168m , isexhibited in an archaeological museum in San Juan city. Another, excavatedfrom the south-west ridge of Aconcagua at 5300m, is kept in a museum ofthe city of Mendoza. Any archaeological or historical finding becomesautomatically the patrimony and property of the two provinces involved.Top experts in this field are Dr Juan Schobinger, Mendoza and AntonioBeorchia, San Juan. Beorchia founded in 1973 in San Juan the Centro deInvestigaciones Arqueologicas de AIta high Montana.

ppendix B CORDONES AND THEIR KNOWN MAJOR POINTS

In the province of MendozaCordillera del Tigre Cerro Tambillos, 5631mCordon del Portillo Cerro Las Pircas, 5750mCordon Bravo or Tres Puntas Cerro Dos Hermanas, 5150m or 4850mCordon del Plata Cerro de la Plata, 5860mCordon Chorrillos Unnamed, 5450mCordon de la Jaula Unnamed, 5900mCordon de Santa Clara Cerro Santa Clara, 5370mCordon de los Indios Unnamed, 4931m

In the province of San JuanCordon del Inca Cerro de la Flecha, 5572mCordillera de la Brea Unnamed, 5900mCordillera de Colangiiil Cerro Lavadero, 6122mCordillera de San Guillermo Nevado Tambillos, 5747m

Cordillera de Olivares or Majadita Cerro Olivares, 6266mCordon de Manrique Cerro Manrique, 5026mCordillera de la Totora Cerro de la Totora, 5770mCordillera de San Lorenzo Cerro San Lorenzo, 5830mCordillera de Ansilta Cerro de Ansilta, 5780mCordillera de la Ramada Cerro Mercedario, 6670m, 6770m or 6800mCordon de los Penitentes Cerro La Mano or La Iglesia, 5600mCordillera de la Ortiga Cerro de la Ortiga, 5990m

Cordillera de Agua Negra Cerro Agua Negra, 5484mCordon del Espinacito Unnamed, 4968m


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O R D I L L E R E N T R L O F R G E N T I N

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

193

Note: Publications exclusively about Aconcagua, Tup un ga to a ndMercedario are no t included.

D Be1atalla, Trekking nella Cordigliera. Cile e Argentina. Edizioni Ca1derini,Bologna, 1992.

Antonio Beorchia et aI, Antecedentes andinisticos de la provincia de SanJuan in Revista. Club Andino Mercedario, 6, 77-79, 1971.

John Biggar, The Andes: a uidefor Climbers. Big R Publ., 163-177, 186,1999.

Theodore Crombie, Two climbing expeditions in the central Andes inGeographical Journal 107, 325-330, 1946.

Stefan Dazsynski, A Polish expedition to the high Andes in GeographicalJournal 84, 215-223, 1934.

Eve1io Echevarria, A survey of Andean ascents in Amen can Alpine Journal37,425-452,1963. A survey of Andean ascents, 1961-1970 in American lpine Journal 48, 71-106, 1974.

Los Andes centra1es de Argentina in Pyrenaica 198,12-17,2000.E A FitzGera1d, The Highest Andes. Methuen, London, 1899.Pab10 Groeber, alta cordillera entre las latitudes 34y 2930 s. Imprenta Coni,

Buenos Aires, 1952.Paul Gtissfeldt, Reisen in den nden von Chile und Argentinien. Gebr. Paete1,

Berlin, 1888.J Guthman, Exploring the central Andes in Mountain Craft 32, 2-4, 1956.Robert Helbling, Beitrage zur topographischen erscWiessung des Cordillera

de 1 s Andes Jahresbencht. Academischen A1penclub Zurich XXIII,1-77,1918.

Edward de la Motte, Mount Sosneado in Alpine Journal48 177-178, 1936.Fritz Reichert, Exploracion de la alta cordillera de Mendoza. Biblioteca del

Suboficia1, Buenos Aires, 1929.Luis Riso Patr6n, La alta cordilera de los ndes entre las latitudes 3 gr 40min. i

35gr Sur. Imprenta Cervantes, Santiago, 1903.Francesco Santon, Sulle ali del condor. Condor Editori, Venice, 1991.

Marce10 Scanu, Andinismo en San Juan in Pyrenaica 185 176-179, 1996.WaIter Schiller, La alta cordillera de Mendoza y parte de la provincia de San

Juan. Ana1es de Ministerio de Agricu1tura, Buenos Aires, 1912.Sey1az, Une expedition peu connue dans le massif de l Aconcagua y a

50 ans in Les Alpes 28 17-22 and 25-29, 1952.Hans Stepanek, Bergfahrten in der Cordil1era del P1ata in Tatigbericht.

Die Naturfreunde Vienna, 23-25, 1925.Txomin Uriarte et aI Expedici6n a1 Nevado Las Pa1as in Pyrenaica 196.

. 356-363, 1996.


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194 T H L P I N J O U R N L 8

Useful sources of information are Argentinian mountaineering journals:Club Andinista Mendoza, Nuestras Montanas; Club Andino Mercedario,Revista; Centro Andino Buenos Aires, Boletin; Club Andino Bariloche,Anuario; Federaci6n Argentina de Montai iismo y Afines, Montana andCentro de Investigaciones Arqueol6gicas de Alta Montagna, Revista

psSome different hojas sheets) covering this region at a scale 1:50 000and 1:250.000 can be obtained from the Instituto Geografico Militar inBuenos Aires. For a complete list of all pertinent maps available see JohnBiggar, TheAndes: a GuideforClimbers 1999. Photocopies of the same mapscan be bought at the offices of the Club Andino Mercedario, in San Juanand the Club Andinista Mendoza, in Mendoza.

R F R N S

Jim Ryan, Aconcagua Highest Trek in the World Cicerone, Milnthorpe,Cumbria, pp19-20, 2004.

2 Fritz Reichert, Exploracion la alta cordillera MendozaBiblioteca del Suboficial, Buenos Aires, p73, 1929.

AJ 2007 184-194 Echevarria Cord Central

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